The Senate Armed Services Committee approved a bill that would give terrorists access to lawyers this week, making it the first terrorist civil rights act in US history. Here’s the details of what’s contained in the bill:

Senate Democrats are backing a bill that would grant new rights to terror suspects held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, including access to a lawyer regardless of whether the prisoners are put on trial.

The proposal, approved this week by the Senate Armed Services Committee, also would narrow the definition of an enemy combatant and tighten restrictions on the types of evidence used to prosecute and keep a person detained.

The bill is aimed primarily at increasing legal protections for the hundreds of people captured by the United States and held for years on suspicion of terror ties without a trial. Only those selected for prosecution, typically the most high-profile suspected terrorists, are guaranteed legal counsel and other rights when they go to court.

About a year ago, I participated in a study of who’s still being held at Gitmo. Suffice it to say that they’re the nastiest of the nastiest. For the Senate Armed Services Committee to pass legislation that gives them access to lawyers is absurd and insulting. They don’t deserve that type of protection. What they do deserve is to be given three meals a day and a place to sleep. Anything beyond that is giving them too much.

Of the people whose files I reviewed, most were picked up on the battlefield or in al-Qaida safehouses. They certainly shouldn’t be released. In fact, they shouldn’t get a trial until we’re certain that we’ve gleaned every ounce of information from them.

The legislation has raised red flags at the White House as potential veto bait and among congressional Republicans, including Sen. Lindsey Graham, who said he was concerned that aspects of the bill may go too far. “Any changes have to meet the test for me that they will not compromise our ability to wage war,” said Graham, R-S.C., in a telephone interview Friday.

Sen. Graham is too squishy for my tastes on immigration and interrogation techniques but I agree with him on this issue.

Technorati Tags: Gitmo, al-Qaeda, Senate Armed Services Committee, Army Tribunals, Lindsey Graham, Immigration

Cross-posted at LetFreedomRingBlog

1. [...] Cross-posted at California Conservative Categories: Homeland Security, National Security, Terrorism, Judiciary, President Bush, Democrats, Tyrants, Radical Islam | [...]

   Pingback by Let Freedom Ring » Blog Archive » Terrorists’ Civil Rights Act Advances — May 25, 2007 @ 10:43 pm

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   Pingback by Terrorists’ Civil Rights Act Advances at Conservative Times--Republican GOP news source. — May 25, 2007 @ 11:10 pm

1. “…aspects of the bill may go too far…”?

   Well, duh!

   Remember, he’s representative of the elephant leadership.

   Says it all about how in touch with real people the “leadership” is, doesn’t it?

   Which brings up the question: If the leaders are going where no one is following, are they still leaders, or are they useless garbage that shouldn’t have been voted in in the first place?

   Comment by Carlos — May 25, 2007 @ 11:14 pm

2. only a couple of problems, 1 - US law does not apply outside the US - most US bases overseas are covered by Status of Forces agreements with the host country, 2 - enemy combatants are covered by internation treaty ratified by the senate and signed by the President

   Comment by Ron K — May 26, 2007 @ 10:13 pm

3. 2 - enemy combatants are covered by internation treaty ratified by the senate and signed by the President

   In most cases, captured enemy combatants are immune from prosecution under the criminal laws of the belligerent country. Prosecutions for war crimes are carried out by military tribunals under all applicable treaties and conventions.

   Under current treaties, enemy combatants are only entitled to attorneys if they are accused of war crimes.

   Comment by Michael Ejercito — May 27, 2007 @ 8:00 am